"He'll be a guy closer to the ball rather than deeper off the ball," Payton said. "He's extremely smart. There's a calming influence he has when he's in there. But (he will be) closer to the ball and in some of the three-safety packages."

Notes: Outside linebacker Hau'oli Kikaha, a second-round pick in 2015 who had four sacks and four forced fumbles last season, was absent from practice on Thursday. While the Saints and Kikaha's agent, Marvin Demoff, did not respond to questions about the reason for Kikaha's absence, several teammates acknowledged that he was injured. Defensive end Cameron Jordan, now a senior member of the Saints' defensive front, said he viewed Obum Gwacham, Kasim Edebali and Davis Tull as players who could step in if Kikaha